The combined Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery will be called Skydance, CEO David Ellison has announced as the merger nears completion.
Named after Ellison's original film production company, Skydance Media, the new company will combine two of the biggest movie studios in Hollywood.
It will oversee major brands like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, the DC Universe, The Lord of the Rings, Paw Patrol and SpongeBob SquarePants.
The $111 billion (£82.8bn) deal forming the new Skydance is set to close tomorrow (6 October).
Merger nears completion
In a statement, Ellison said: "Paramount and Warner Bros. shaped over a century of culture. By combining them, we aren't rewriting history – we're equipping these iconic studios with a more powerful engine. Together, we are Skydance: a creative-first home for bold, quality storytelling."
Ellison said the name was chosen because "we wanted to preserve what has made each of these studios iconic".
"We never wanted a new corporate identity to diminish, alter or overshadow either one. Instead, we wanted a name that would give the combined company an identity of its own while allowing Paramount and Warner Bros. – and all our extraordinary brands – to remain in the spotlight," he added.
Universal Studios Beijing opened as the first theme park of Universal Beijing Resort in 2021 Universal
"We have big goals for Skydance, and we intend to pursue them with passion, imagination and a willingness to take smart risks.
"At the same time, we will honor what makes Paramount and Warner Bros. special — giving both studios the opportunity to grow, tell more great stories and bring those stories to even broader audiences around the world, powered by the scale and capabilities of Skydance."
How the sale of Warner Bros. will impact the company's location-based entertainment (LBE) offering is uncertain at this point.
Warner Bros. licenses its name and characters to theme parks such as Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, and operates the Harry Potter studio tour attractions.
Paramount's LBE experiences include the Nickelodeon Universe theme parks.
